Scottish First Minister should apologise over Troubles remarks, DUP says

The First Minister of Scotland should issue a “clear and unambiguous apology” over comments urging people to “move on” from the Troubles, the leader of the DUP has said.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson said John Swinney’s comments caused “genuine hurt among victims and survivors”.

Swinney was speaking to The Herald newspaper after his party’s election victory and was asked about potential dealings with Sinn Féin as a result of the three devolved administrations of the UK having pro-independence parties in leading roles.

The leader of the SNP recognised his dealings with Sinn Fein, whose vice president Michelle O’Neill is First Minister of Northern Ireland, had caused some “media consternation”, but he added: “I really do think people have got to move on.”

He said he had “no intention” of apologising for the comments, telling the Press Association earlier this week that: “The issues that are involved in the peace process have involved people moving on, people have had to move on, that’s exactly what they’ve done, and I’m simply reflecting what’s happened.”

However, the leader of the DUP has questioned whether he would consider the same “deeply hurtful” language appropriate for the Lockerbie bombing, the attack at Glasgow Airport or Dunblane shootings.

In reference to Scottish soldiers killed by the IRA, Robinson said no political arrangement or coalition with those “who have never honestly confronted the IRA’s brutal campaign can ever erase the truth about what has done”.

He urged Swinney to “reflect seriously on the offence” his comments caused and “apologise publicly to those victims and survivors who feel insulted”.

In a letter to the Scottish First Minister, Robinson said: “Whilst I appreciate your subsequent efforts to clarify those remarks, the language used has caused genuine hurt among victims and survivors, many of whom continue to live daily with the consequences of terrorism and violence.”

He added: “The passage of time does not diminish the need for sensitivity, nor does it erase the legitimate pursuit of truth, justice and accountability.”

Robinson told Swinney that victims of terrorism are “not an inconvenience to be brushed aside because their pain sits awkwardly alongside today’s political arrangements”.

He added: “They deserve honesty, respect and the assurance that those who lead will never minimise what they endured.”

He told the First Minister that leadership requires “the courage to say difficult things plainly” rather than to “manage relationships at the expense of those who suffered most”.

Robinson said: “No victim should ever be told – directly or indirectly – to simply get over the murder of their loved ones.

“I urge you to reflect seriously on the offence your comments have caused and to apologise publicly to those victims and survivors who feel insulted and abandoned by your remarks.”

The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment.